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18 September 2003 - Apex-BP Solar, a subsidiary of BP France, in partnership with the Moroccan oil company CMH (Compagnie Marocaine des Hydrocarbures) has been awarded a major contract for the supply and installation of solar power systems, which will provide electricity to households in Morocco's Chichaoua Province, south of Marrakesh.
The project will benefit 20 000 people who will gain access to lighting, radio, television and refrigerators via a local solar energy distribution network.
The contract for implementation of the project was awarded to Apex-BP Solar by ONE (Office National de l'Electricité), the Moroccan state-owned electricity utility. The partnership will be responsible for implementing a turnkey project covering the supply and installation of solar panel systems manufactured by BP Solar over three years and for managing the installations, providing maintenance and invoicing customers for services provided over a ten-year period. A new company, BP Solar Maroc, is being established for this purpose in Marrakesh.
Commenting on the announcement, Apex-BP Solar CEO Arnaud Mine said: "This program is of prime importance to Morocco's rural population in that it will provide basic domestic amenities in areas where there is no conventional electricity supply grid. It is also very important to BP Solar, providing important recognition of the solar engineering and rural contract management activities needed in many areas of Africa. In addition, this project will represent a greenhouse gas emissions reduction equivalent to 10 000 tonnes CO2 over a ten year period, thus contributing to alleviating global warming."
Michel de Fabiani, President of BP France and BP vice president Europe said: "This project is a concrete example of the part solar energy is called on to play in sustainable development in Africa. It combines protection of the environment with economic and social considerations, while obviating the need to set up capital-intensive infrastructure in the regions concerned. The same technology is already available in Europe for more specific applications."
Apex-BP Solar, which is based in Montpellier, in the southern part of France. It specialises in the design and construction of solar panel systems and incorporating BP Solar modules in installations designed to customers' specifications. Apex-BP Solar has activities in France as well as in French overseas territories and French speaking Africa.
BP Solar is one of the world's largest solar companies with global market share of nearly 20 percent. BP solar has manufacturing facilities in the US, Spain, India, and Australia. Its headquarters are located in Linthicum, Maryland.
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